A Promise to Keep
by Elisabeth Beaupre
Summary: A Titanic Hetalia AU. It's the fiftieth anniversary of the day the Unsinkable was engilfed into the cold, dark waters of the Atlantic and Roderich Edelstein figures its time for the press to know his story.


**This fanfiction has some iffy historical pockets so please, for you history buffs, don't flip out over my lack of reassuring research while I was writing this. It was meant to be a quick feels Friday post for Instagram and I fugred that I shoud upload the story to .**

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April 15, 1962  
50th anniversary of the day the Titanic sank  
Public remembrance  
A public announcement given by Roderich Edelstein

"Fifty years ago on this very day, a ship nicknamed the Unsinkable was swallowed whole into the frigid, cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean. I, Roderich Edelstein, was one of the few hundred survivors of that forsaken night and for years I have avoided the prying eyes of the press who were collecting stories of those survivors to document the different experiences and view points of those tales. Mine, however, was much different than much of the other passengers and I kept to myself for years, fearing ridicule, poor judgement, and the harsh words of others. But now, I am an old man, seventy-five years of age, and its time for another story to be heard."

"For much of my life, I performed on the piano professionally. That was one of the reasons I was on the ship (accompanied by my wife, Elizabeta) for I played every night whether it be at the balls or the dinning room. After my first performance on the first night, I stumbled upon a drunk German. Or, rather he stumbled upon me. The first thing that caught my eye was that this man had white hair. Not white really, but his hair was so blonde that it appeared to be white. Anyhow, his collar was popped, shirt unbuttoned, hair ruffled, and overall looked like like a mess. The fool... Our first conversation went a little something like,_  
'Why Guten Abend~'  
'Please, sir, would you get off me?'  
'Why?'  
'I'd like to get to my cabin for one, and you're drunk.'  
'Yeah? Well you're sexy~'"_

"It was definitely a struggle to get him off of me, but when I did, I learned that I'd have to escort him to his cabin. I asked him what level he resided in, he replied saying third class. Oh how I felt like I was digging my own grave venturing down into those recesses on the ship. Being an aristocrat, I wasn't used to such conditions and I hurried along to drop the man off at his cabin door and make hast back to the comfort of first class. It wasn't that simple. As drunk as he was, the man couldn't recall his room number._ 'Lovely,'_ I thought to myself, _'Just lovely,'_

_'Well, where's your key?'  
'Back pocket,'_  
Oh, what an adventurous night I was having indeed. I asked him which pocket it was in and he answered with a sloppy shrug of his shoulders. It was time to take a wild guess and hope I'd be lucky. My first attempt wasn't a success._  
'Oh, grabbin' my ass there I see,' _he said, smirking.  
For Christ's sake, all I wanted to do was get this man to his cabin and let it be over with but I had basically just groped this man's arse!  
His room key _was_ in the neighboring pocket. I unlocked the door and walked the man over to his cot (which he immediately collapsed into). Dusting myself off, I bid him a good night and made my way out of his cabin, but he stopped me to ask for my name. At the time, I was pretty sure that our paths wouldn't cross again but it'd be rude of me not to give him my name._  
'Roderich Edelstein,'  
'So, you're Austrian? Well, Roddy, name's Gilbert Beilschmidt. Thanks for draggin' my ass back here,'  
'No trouble,' _(I was lying to myself saying this)  
_'You play the piano well by the way,'  
'Danke. I'll taking my leave now,' _And I left, rushing to the clean haven of first class without the slightest glance over my shoulder."

"Now, the pace of this story begins to pick up just a bit. The following night, I was performing in the dining room. During a break, I approached the table where Elizabeta (my wife) was sitting and, to my astonishment, chatting with Gilbert. Apparently, Eliza and Gilbert were childhood friends. Quite the coincidence. As much as I tried to avoid any other contact with him, Gilbert's eyes had already locked with mine and he beckoned me over to join in their conversation. I did, and it resulted in Gilbert and I getting more acquainted with one another. I learned that he was a soldier for the German military forces (and made quite a salary), he had a younger brother named Ludwig, and that he was once even considered a duke for a short period of time. The more he talked, the more a strange attraction to him grew. At a point I think I actually got lost in his words and it caused me to be ten minutes late for the Captain's Ball."

"I had to make a mad dash for it and I snuck behind the grand piano as casually as humanly possible. Of course, my entrance was a bit rough, but the ball continued in its elegant ways. The chandelier gleamed at its brightest, ladies and gents glided along the spotless, hardwood to the flowing tempo of the music. It was a sight to behold. About half and hour had passed and it was time to switch out with the next pianist. I took this chance upon myself to ask Elizabeta to dance. Unfortunately, another gentleman had already taken that initiative. Like any married man, I was furious. I began marching my way through the dancing crowd towards the two (who were moving along with the music at this point), but Gilbert had stepped in front of my path. He smirked, making a sideways glance in the direction of the other gentleman and Eliza._  
'Don't be a killjoy and ruin their fun, Roddy,'  
'Excuse you?'_ I snapped, _'That's my wife, Gilbert. What would you expect I do?'  
'Oh, I dunno. How about this,'_ he offered me his hand and winked, _'join me in a dance and by the time it's over, Eli will be free for you to claim,'_

"_**'Excuse you?'**_ My reaction must have been a sight to see for Gilbert had burst into laughter._  
'C'mon,'_ he grabbed my hand and lead me out of the ballroom. I was too busy fighting against his pull to recall where he took me, but I remember ducking behind a sheet of curtains. It was a cleared room with dimmed lighting. The music from the ballroom was still within earshot and I daresay that it was like a romance scene take straight out of a film. I figured if the man wanted to dance, then he'd get it. Sucking it up, I readied my posture and assumed the position to take lead. But, this man was just full of surprises. He led through the steps and rhythms of the music with skill. The man didn't have two left feet! I... I must have been staring at him. We locked eyes again and his smirk split into a grin._  
'Could it be the aristocrat is loosing his self conscience because of me again?'_  
I was baffled. At the time, my first thoughts were _'Of course not you cocky bastard!'_ But our bodies were closer to each other and, for the first time, I noticed the colour of his eyes: Red. Being raised in a Catholic Christian household, I felt compelled to pull out my rosary, but they were beautiful in a way. God forbid the feelings for this man I was growing. I stuttered saying _'Your eyes... They're...'  
'Red? Are you just now noticing this?'_  
I nodded and he seemed surprised. _  
'Wow, hate to sound this way but damn. I thought aristocrats were supposed to be smart,'_  
I shouted at him, and all Gilbert did was laugh; we actually ended up dancing until the very last note could be heard. I couldn't believe how much time I had spent with him. I turned so that my back would face him, hiding a flustered face. I asked him where I would have to go to get back to my cabin._  
'Turn around and I'll tell you,' _he said.  
Hesitantly, I did as he said only to be answered with a pair of lips against mine. I should have pushed him away. I would have shouted 'What the hell is wrong with you?' I don't know what kept me from doings those things but I actually sank into that kiss. My last memory of that night was collapsing onto the the love seat in my cabin, reliving that kiss.

"We continued to see each other two night prior to the fifteenth. We ate dinner (accompanied by Eliza) and even danced in that same place. Lights dimmed, privacy from the judging eyes of the other passengers.  
The night of April fifteenth, nineteen-twelve had finally approached and we were halfway to the destination of America. Elizabeta was going to spend the night in another lady's cabin. You know how girls do: sleepovers. After walking her over to the cabin of the young lady she would be residing with's cabin. I believe her name was Michelle. Anyhow, Gilbert had known about those plans apparently and took it upon himself to wait for my return. There he was, leaning against the wall next to the door to my cabin, whistling a simple tune. _  
'What are you doing here?'_ I asked.  
He shrugged and looked at me with that smirk on his face. A smirk that I had come to love. _'Waiting for you of course, little master,'_ Honestly, I still have no idea why he called me that. Or, not why he called me that really, more so when he thought it was alright to call me that.  
I rolled my eyes, _'Let me guess, you want booze?'  
'How did you know?'  
'Idiot. Come in...'_  
Side note – The alcohol supplied to first class was outstanding and he'd stop by often to get a bottle or two. Man loved his beer.

But, for once, he settled for some glasses of champagne (which he poured himself). We assimilated our usual chatter over nothing with occasional shouting at each other. What happened next... I'm not quite sure it's something I need to say. Somehow, we got onto the topic of music, a topic I love. I was rambling on and on about my preferences, experiences, and what not, and it would have seemed that Gilbert was now the one who'd lost his self conscience. I didn't realize how he stared at me until I noticed that he wasn't adding his input every now and then. I slowly came to a stop._  
'Gil...? Are you listening to me?'  
'Was?' _he blinked, snapping out of whatever trance he was under. Now I was the one who was smirking._  
'Is someone loosing their self conscience because of me?' I teased.  
'Shut up,' _he laughed. _'Well, actually,'_ he dropped his eye contact for a moment then looked back into mine, _'I just admire how you can talk about music so passionately. It's endearing...'_  
My heartbeat pounded abasing my chest for a split second and I felt my cheeks flush red. _  
'Ha! Made you blush~'  
'You idiot!'_  
I had turned away from him out of my flustered rage. He really had a way of getting to me like that. _  
'Hey, Roddy, look at me,'  
I shook my head.  
'Look at me,'_  
His tone was assertive. Gently assertive. I sighed and met his eyes slowly. He smiled slightly and he leaned forward, giving me a kiss. Things began to escalate by chance and... We committed an ultimate sin that night. We made love."

"Two men, one married, bedding one another. It's an impossible thought, isn't it? I'm damned to the deepest recesses of hell for I cheated on my wife with a man! A man that I loved. A love bound in sin. I... This, this is where my heart breaks all over again. When the ship steered into the iceberg, the ship rocked on its side like a small child kicking off on a rocking chair. It disturbed our rest. Gil got out of bed and poked his head out the door like everyone else had and suddenly the alarm went off. I was still groggy from the sudden rupture of my dreams, but Gil's guard was set up. _  
'Roderich, get up. Put your clothes on,'  
'Was? Why? What's going on?'  
'Just do as I say, alright?' _He had already put on his underwear and trousers._  
'But–'  
'Roderich, listen, do you hear that siren? Out your clothes on, we're heading to the lifeboats,'_  
It had suddenly clicked with me. The siren echoed through my eardrum. I was wide awake then. Getting dressed was a blur and before I knew it, Gilbert and I were out of the cabin. The captain's voice boomed through the megaphones, _'This is an emergency! All passengers to lifeboats immediately! The ship has grazed an iceberg!'_  
Soon, people... familes were rushing out of their cabins. Shouting, carrying small children, putting on their coats..._  
'Wait!' _I shouted, _'Elizabeta! We have to go get her!'  
'Don't worry about her! I've known her since we were kids, she can handle herself,'  
'This is different than childhood situations, Gilbert! We have to get her!'  
'That cabin she's in is further back into the first class. We go back now, we'll get caught in the crowd,'  
'If you won't go with me then I'll go by myself!'  
'Roderich!'_ Gilbert grabbed my shoulders and held them firmly, giving me a good shake._ 'This is not the time to be a diplomat! Eli will be just fine, but I want your life to be ensured first!'_

I... I had never seen him so serious. He'd never yelled at me like that either._  
'C'mon, lets get you to the lifeboats,' _Gilbert took my hand and he pushed our way through the growing crowd and somehow managed to get near the front of the crowd. The closest we could get to the lifeboats._  
'First class passengers and children on board first! All first class and children onto the lifeboats first!' _shouted crew members as some passengers who were trying to force their way into a life boat were pushed back._  
'Get in a boat,' _Gil ordered._  
'Eh? What about you?'  
'I'll be in one, just not the one you're gonna get on,'  
'Why not?'  
'There's somethin' I gotta do first... Don't give me that look, Roddy! I promise I'll be fine and we'll meet up again when this is all over,'  
'Promise?'  
'Cross my heart and swear to die,'_  
I bit my lip, I didn't want to trust him, and I shouldn't have, but I nodded. '_Okay, you promise,' _We embraced. Not caring if anyone was watching because no one would have been. Things were becoming more unsettling on deck and it would have taken a miracle for someone to actually pay attention to others. Our eyes met and our lips locked... We reluctantly parted. A slow and hesitant part._  
'First class passenger right here sirs!'_ he shouted at a crew member, pointing down at me._  
'Sir, please, this way,'_ I was lead to a lifeboat. I turned back to get a last look at my beloved. He was still there._  
'Ich liebe dich, Gilbert!' _I shouted to be heard over the loud crowd.  
Gilbert smiled... I smiled that I hadn't seen from him._ 'Ich liebe dich auch, Roderich!'_ And he disappeared from my sight.

I... I'm sorry. I just need a moment before I continue...

Once it couldn't hold another soul, the lifeboat was put out into the open ocean. The ship, the Titanic, went nose up and I watched the vessel sink into cold waters. It was horrifying, the lights flickered off, screams were heard, some had even jumped ship only to be greeted by a painful death. I wish that no human being live to see something so beautiful go like that. So suddenly and so... so atrociously tragic...

When the rescue ships came around, we were taken in, given warmer clothes, food, and hot chocolate. I met up with Elizabeta at the docks when we reached solid land. I never thought I'd be so happy to see someone in my life. But... Gilbert wasn't part of the reunion. I searched and searched until the last few people on the docks left. He promised... He promised... Then, something clicked._  
'Elizabeta, how'd you get into a lifeboat?'_  
She hesitated to answer a bit,_ 'Gil, he–'  
'The fool!' _I shouted. _'You promised!'_ I shouted at the ocean. _'Liar... Liar!_ _You__ fucking lied to me...' _I sank to me knees, sobbing... I'm sure she had figured it out by then. Elizabeta... She was a remarkable woman. Even after I confessed to her, she was supportive. She may not have been happy about it, but she was very supportive... I don't know where I'd be if she hadn't been there for me.

A week later, the headlines in the newspaper regarded the tragedy. And in a list of heroes of that night, Gilbert's name was listed. Body, found by fishermen. He was to have an honorary funeral and Elizabeta and I had to go.

The funeral home was filled with men that looked to be colleagues of Gilbert's and I think I may have actually seen his little brother. Though, only for a split second. Poor boy didn't seem to have the heart to even step in the room. I know I barely had the emotional strength to. It... It took much will power to look inside the casket. The one I call mein liebe... Lying cold and paler than he'd ever been when blood was running through his veins. I must have been hallucinating but... I could have sworn he opened his eyes. Could've sworn he flashed that smirk of his and winked at me._  
'Y-you're alive...? You're alive... Gilbert Beilschmidt you fool!' _And as soon as he'd reanimated, he was dead once again._ 'Gilbert, open your eyes! Open eyes and look at me dammit!'  
'Roderich, calm down!'_ Elizabeta pulled me away from the casket and ended up dragging me out of the funeral home. I didn't attend the burial ceremony. I wouldn't be able to bear it.

I've told you all my story today because it was time for it to be heard. The story of a hero who's soul was damned to hell because of our love. And so my own is bound by the same fate. To anyone who thought this story revolting, you can strip me of my rights, my dignity and my pride, my status as an aristocrat, but you can never take away my love for that man. Because if our souls are bound to that same place, I know he'll keep his promise."

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_**Author's Note: **__Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this little PruAus one shot type thing. It took 8+ hours to type this... My brain... It's dead. But yeah thanks for reading and I will try and update A Gents Candy as soon as possible! Thanks for the patience~ _

**Guten Abend** = Good evening

**Ich liebe dich (auch)** = I love you (too)

**Danke** = Thank you

**Was** = What?


End file.
